Thursday

Well, my continuous daily blog streak will come to an end tomorrow, but only for a couple of days. I will return before the holiday weekend is over.

Jennie seems exhausted from all the extra work being thrown her way. Mainly, she appears mildly dehydrated and has been getting leg cramps from standing up all day. She will be fine with a little rest. This weekend will be a great time for her to relax and unwind at the wedding.

Wednesday

Today was a busy, yet successful day in the salt mines. Unfortunately, I am finding less and less time to create blog entries... :)

I am proud to say I am now completely Comcast-free! Having spent my entire lunch break driving to the outer limits of middle Tennessee and back, it was satisfying to unload my vastly underperforming, digital HD cable box. I chose not to deliver a rant to the apathetic clerk -- instead, I will save my constructive criticisms for the Comcast online survey. If we had more than one cable company (i.e., competition) in middle Tennessee, maybe we would have a better product? I believe there is a reason more than 2 out of 3 homes in my neighborhood have a dish...

Okay, I will step off of my soapbox now.

Tomorrow evening, Jennie and I will begin our journey to see my sister, Daina's wedding. No internet access will force me to be "blog"-less for a few days. Hold the fort down while I am away...

Tuesday

My DSL internet service is scheduled to be turned on by 5pm CST today. So, I will be officially Comcast-less tomorrow, once and for all... My Yahoo.com email address is the best way to reach me (if you get any "message undeliverable" emails returned from my obsolete comcast.net address).

Words simply cannot express how pleased I am with our satellite TV service (now having it for over a week). Dish Network and DirecTV are analogous to a refreshing glass of ice cold Coke and Pepsi. While both satellite services have a strong following, choosing one over the other really depends on your taste or TV-viewing needs. Then, you have (Comcast) the forgotten, curdled glass of milk left out in the garage for several days. Thirst may tell you to drink it, but the sickness that follows will turn you away forever!

Monday

Today was one of those days where I just couldn't get caught up at work...

Each time I began to create this blog entry, something else came up. So, here I am. Nothing terribly exciting to report. Jennie is doing great!

I believe I will now go trim the backyard in this 105 degree heat. Twelve pounds of sweat flowing from my forehead like a sprinkler will do wonders for the yard! As long as I drink lots of water and wear a ball cap to cover my bald mug, I should be just fine.

Sunday

It's nice to be home after 3 days of visiting Graceland, the Peabody Ducks, and eating tons of good barbecue while listening to live Blues music.

Following last Friday's appointment, Jennie and I hit the road for the land of Elvis. Our hotel was just off of Beale Street in the heart of downtown. A few welcome drops of rain fell Saturday afternoon as we were leaving Graceland; otherwise, it was mildly hot with a nice breeze. We were so exhausted Friday night, we drifted off to sleep around 8:30pm. Last night, we fought off sleep until 10pm (God, we're getting old). I now feel fully refreshed and completely re-energized. Jennie is taking a nap as I type...

Friday

Today is Jennie's appointment to see her new OBGYN. Hopefully, this consultation will provide some clarification on what we may expect from here on out.

Sorry for the short post, but I need to run for now...

I will update later if we find out anything exciting.

EVENING UPDATE: Today's appointment went well. Dr.Wise performed a quick ultrasound on Jennie's belly and we all saw the baby move. It was very exciting! As expected, it's still a bit early to hear the heartbeat using a Doppler device. Jennie's next appointment and ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday, September 20th (15 weeks, 1 day). We will find out the baby's sex around October 24th (20 weeks). Boy or girl, it does not matter to me.

Thursday

Happy Anniversary to me! It's been a "duck egg" -- well, as a youngster, that's what I used to call a decade. Since Jennie has to work late today, we will probably celebrate in front of the TV with an overflowing bowl of cereal. How's that for romantic?

I am anxious to see what tomorrow's OBGYN appointment provides (if anything). Call it OCD, if you will, but the uncertainty of not knowing when Jennie's future ultrasounds will take place is killing me. While I like to pretend to be spontaneous and full of adventure, those who know me well realize I am full of something else! hehehe Oh well, a control freak I am not, but high-level planning, structure, and a routine are a must!

Wednesday

Tomorrow marks my 10th year wedding anniversary with Jennie. When a girl says, "really, don't get me a gift", should that be translated into "hey buster, you better get me a really special gift!" ? hehe :)

I suppose Friday's appointment with Jennie's new OBGYN is simply a routine "getting-to-know-you" visit. No ultrasounds will be performed this week, unfortunately. In fact, I honestly have no clue when the next one will take place. I know that gender can be determined between weeks 15 and 20, so I imagine Jennie will have at least one during that window.

Quick question: I am actively looking for a new blog "template" background. Leave a quick comment (anonymously if you prefer) and let me know if you prefer a dark color scheme or if the light colors are easier on your eyes...

Tuesday

Unfortunately, Jennie's employer is showing no mercy these days (denying requested time off, requiring extra hours worked, etc). Although she is considered a "part time employee", Jennie has been working nearly 40 hours per week filling in for several co-workers out on maternity leave. I suppose the most painful part is the commuting time; after an exhausting day, she drives over an hour each way to work and home. Ouch!

Now that the temperatures across middle Tennessee have fallen to the upper 90's, I need to start mowing my yard again. Officially, we are only a month away from Jennie's favorite season: Autumn.

The remaining leaves (those that successfully avoided becoming wilted and necrotic) will develop beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow in the next six to eight weeks...

Don't you just love the Fall? Labor Day, Football, Halloween. For me, while nature cleanses itself with death and dying, it's a time of hope and renewal -- as Hockey season begins! Training camp starts in a few short weeks.

Monday

Satisfying my inner geek, Jennie bought me an upscaling 1080p HDMI DVD player yesterday for our 10 year anniversary. Couple that with our new satellite installation and I feel giddy like a little boy on Christmas morning! Dish Network's picture quality is impeccable using the new ViP722 receiver (350 hours of standard definition OR 55 hours of high definition recording; this should be enough DVR space for now). Oh well, I don't want to bore you with the details, but I love it!

Jennie's morning sickness returned again yesterday while she was brushing her teeth. Otherwise, she is doing well. She still feels occasional twinges from time to time (we're not sure if it's gas or the baby moving around). We took a two hour nap yesterday afternoon to regain our strength... (for me, I want to show sympathy, and sleeping is always great!)

Saturday

Due to uncertainty with my internet connection, I figured it would be best to go ahead and create a blog entry before the satellite installer arrives. If he uses the same coaxial outlets for my dish as my existing cable, I will lose internet service (cable modem) in a few hours... It's alright though because my DSL account should be active in the coming days.

Overall, Jennie is doing well. Lately, her allergies have been bothering her, but that's the price you pay for living in middle Tennessee. :)

Her exercise restriction will be lifted this coming Thursday (she will be able to swim and lightly stroll, but no Yoga). I will continue to do her heavy lifting chores and make sure she is taking it easy.

Busily rushing around the house, I have been trying to complete some "around the house" chores today. I am crossing my fingers for a smooth and painless satellite dish installation tomorrow. Surely it will be a piece of cake for the installer. I have diagrammed all of my inputs/outputs and prepared myself with all necessary cables, etc.

Jennie's friend and co-worker had a baby daughter yesterday morning at 9:30am. By the time Jennie got home last night, Marnie was not accepted any visitors. Maybe we will get to visit today? If not, I am sure we will see the baby in due time.

As the next two weekends will be very busy, Jennie and I are looking forward to being bums this weekend. Next weekend, we are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary on a surprise getaway (planned by moi). And, two weeks from now, we will be attending my step-sister's wedding...

Friday

This is going to be a great weekend! Lots of plans, lots of activities...

Jennie's friend and co-worker, Marnie, is giving birth to her first child (and daughter) as I type. So, in all likelihood, Jennie and I will be visiting the hospital after work this evening.

Our new satellite dish will be installed Sunday morning between 8 am and noon. I have been fed up with my cable provider for quite some time (not to reveal their identity, but it rhymes with Bomb-Cast). Anyhow, I did a ton of research and feel really positive about my decision. Anyone need a cable modem? :)

Thursday

Ten weeks pregnant, yet reality has still not begun to seep into my thick skull. Jennie modeled several maternity outfits she purchased yesterday, and I still feel the same. I wonder what it will take for me to feel different? Will it be when I feel the baby kicking for the first time OR will it be when I faint during Jennie's delivery? Maybe the first night at home after leaving the hospital with all the crying and diaper changing? While six months from now certainly seems out of reach, it will be here before you can say, "Rumplestilts-TILSON-kin".

Yay! Jennie had her worst morning sickness yesterday and she IS super excited! From everything we have heard and read, morning sickness is a sign that the baby is healthy (possible wives' tale alert). So, Jennie says, "Let me puke".

Wednesday

Snippet borrowed from BabyCenter.com (our baby is no longer considered an "embryo" as of today, hello fetus!),

Your baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear.

During the next three weeks, your baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.

If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord.

Jennie is still encountering nausea each day after taking her vitamins. Last night, she had some "twinges in her hinges", but I think it was just gas. She should not feel the baby kicking for at least another 5 or 6 weeks, I believe.

Tuesday

Jennie will use her final dose of progesterone gel tomorrow! It really seems like an eternity has come to pass since she began giving herself shots, ingesting pills, and applying cream gels. The placenta should be resilient enough at 10 weeks (tomorrow) to sustain the baby without progesterone cream.

I am carefully weighing the pro's and con's of Digital Cable VS. Satellite TV. I would be very anxious to hear any opinions from family, friends, or even strangers. Please click on the little envelope to the right of the COMMENTS to email me directly or feel free to leave an anonymous comment here if you have any thoughts...

DIGITAL CABLE & CABLE BROADBAND:Pros: I have nothing bad to say about the cable modem service.Cons: The digital cable has "pixelating" and "tiling" issues on many of the channels sporadically. Our local cable company continues to raise rates and remove channels from the lineup. Not enough channels broad cast in High Definition. The digital cable does not work well with TiVo.

SATELLITE TV & DSL BROADBAND:Pros: I have never owned a "dish", but I have had good results with DSL in my area. You can get a HUGE amount of High Definition channels at a lower cost.Cons: The only concern I have is, "What if the service stinks? Am I stuck with a big, bulky dish? If it rains, do I lose my TV programming?"

Monday

Happy Monday the 13th to you! I guess that's not nearly as sinister as "Friday the 13th", right? Today is officially the first day of school for the remaining middle Tennessee counties which surround Nashville.

If Weather.com holds true (and I am skeptical), this should be one of the very hottest weeks in Tennessee *recorded* history. Peaking at 110 degrees Wednesday and surrounded by 108 degree days, I now understand what Las Vegas feels like in the summer. A few years ago, I began pleading to Jennie for us to relocate to the Tampa Bay, Florida area (in order to be closer to family and so we could have a swimming pool with palm trees, too - hehehe). In retrospect, I was dead on -- it's a full 15 degrees cooler in Florida than it is Tennessee! Does that make any sense at all?

Sunday

Snap! Crunch, crunch, crunch. Shortly after 3 am, I awoke to the sounds of Jennie eating Saltine crackers in bed. Trying to restrain a smile from passing over my lips, all I could think about was the punch line to that old joke, "I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers!"

Only hours earlier, I had joked with Jennie about having to make a run for Krispy Kreme at 3 o'clock in the morning. As I glanced over her way, I rubbed my eyes and noticed a translucent, imaginary wire-frame Arby's hat over her head. Yep, she was thinking Arby's. Luckily, she opted for a bowl of strawberries instead and I slipped back into dreamland.

Last night, we had dinner with Jennie's parents at Toots (imagine the food of Hooters sans cleavage). After filling our bellies, we all came back to mi casa to watch the DVD Nacho Libre starring Jack Black. It was quite funny, and I would recommend checking it out if you enjoy Black's bizarre wit.

Saturday

Only twelve more days until Jennie and I celebrate our 10th year wedding anniversary! Or, as you probably remember from my earlier blog postings, this will be our 120th anniversary (since we celebrate monthly).

For the weekend of the 24th, I am currently planning a small, surprising getaway for Jennie. I will *try* to sneak along my laptop to keep my daily blog posting streak alive.

The heat wave appears to be gradually subsiding. Today, the high is only 98 degrees! Yay... I don't remember four consecutive 100+ degree days in my life. Well, at least not in Tennessee. :)

Has anyone experienced "swelling" to their house during this heat wave? Our garage door is having issues closing during the hottest parts of the day. Oh well, on the bright side, not having to mow the yard HAS been great!

I will be posting Jennie's ultrasound photo this afternoon. Remember the character "Lawrence", played by Martin Short on SNL in the early-to-mid 80's? This morning, I was skipping through the house like Lawrence, I must say. Once I located my digital camera, I realized the rechargeable batteries were drained. Great!

So, long story short, I will be posting the ultrasound thingy after my semi-short day at work. My gracious boss granted me early leave today since I have already worked close to 50 hours this week (before arriving today)...

Thursday

Jennie's ultrasound went well yesterday. The doctor told Jennie and her mom that everything is fine with the progression.

STATISTICS: Our baby is now 18.7 mm (nearly an inch!). Two weeks ago, the baby was only 6.9 mm. For those metrically challenged folks (myself included), 22 mm or 2.2 cm is equal to 1 inch.

The heart rate measured 179 beats per minute (up from 139 beats per minute 2 weeks ago). I did not get to hear the heartbeat live, but Jennie recorded it on a micro-cassette player. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump! We are excited and cannot wait until our little kidney bean is born...

Today (thankfully) is the final day I will have to work late this week. I really don't want to bore you with all the technical details, but let's just say Tuesday night's fiasco could have been avoided if some folks had paid a little more attention to detail. Attention to detail, or the lack thereof, has always been a pet peeve of mine; I am the most "meticulous-to-a-fault" person I know (other than my wife, of course!). Not trying to sound crass, but it seems if you want a task done correctly, you might as well do it yourself! :) hehehe

THIS GUY IS HOLDING BACK. HE NEEDS TO TELL US HOW HE REALLY FEELS.... HEHEHE

Wednesday

Fueled on lots of coffee and very little sleep, I am beginning another hellish day of work. I got home from work last night around 11pm (yes, that is one hour before midnight). Keep in mind that I get up for work each day at 5:20am and arrive around 6:15am like clockwork.

So, today is Jennie's ultrasound and I'll be here locked away in a server room applying patches and getting our new server upgrade configured with a consultant.

I promise to be in better spirits tomorrow... :) First, I need some sleep. I will update the blog later today.

Monday

Today is "Back to School" day for many in the mid-state area. All things considered, traffic was not too bad this morning. I have altered my work schedule to avoid Nashville's horrid traffic constipation. Avoiding the persistent "let's-speed-up-to-slam-on-our-brakes" type of traffic is always a plus! :)

Jennie and I enjoyed our annual visit to Nashville Shores (one of Nashville's two water parks in the metro area) yesterday. I successfully avoided sunburn, but Jennie's shoulders and back were not so lucky. She will be fine, but I think we will need to use SPF-8,000 if we go back on a 100-degree day.

Only two more days until Jennie's next ultrasound. I hope the baby's heartbeat can be recorded somehow or maybe I can hear it over a cell phone.

Sunday

Yesterday, Jennie and I spent the day clothes shopping and cleaning out our closets. Pretty exciting stuff, eh? The Tax Free weekend helped out a bunch, especially since I needed some new clothes for work, etc.

Ever wake up in the middle of the night with one of your limbs asleep? Last night my right leg from my knee down woke me up suddenly, I tried to stand, and I fell to the floor frightening Jennie a bit. I was fine, but my right leg felt like two cinder blocks -- hehehe. A few minutes of tapping it and I was back to normal. I'm sure I was just sleeping on it funny.

Today we are going to spend some time with friends at the local water park. Although poor Jennie will not be able to go down the slides, she can still beat the heat floating around the pool...

Saturday

It took a Herculean effort, but I was able to convert Jennie's 3 1/2 minute interview into a YouTube video. I apologize for the less than stellar quality of the video, but YouTube restricts video size (it has to be less than 100 MB). I began with a 6.5 Gigabyte video file (6,656 MB) and kept compressing until it was only a mere 24 Megabytes!

JENNIE'S INTERVIEW ON FOX17

Jennie worked late yesterday, so I hit the Smyrna Greenway once again and enjoyed pedaling nearly 8 miles on my bicycle. As I stopped off for some Gatorade on my way home, my legs and back were so stiff (God, I'm getting old) that I probably appeared to be mildly intoxicated (stumbling to and fro in the convenience store).

Last night Jennie and I watched The Hills Have Eyes. It was not nearly as scary as it was grotesque and gory. Sometimes implied gore and psychological horror is more satisfying for the movie watcher. Just my 2 cents...

Friday

Happy August 3rd to you and yours. I am ecstatic this week is finally coming to a close. It has been exhausting to say the least.

Last night, Jennie made some delicious stuffed peppers for dinner. Serving my post as Chief Dishwasher for Chef Jennie, I scrubbed each and every dish until I had dish-pan hands.

As we relaxed on the couch, we enjoyed a dose of the evil drug known as Reality TV (Big Brother 8 on CBS). Every year, we say we will stop watching reality shows, but the addiction is much too hard to give up, especially cold turkey. Afterwards, we took in an older classic movie called Clerks. I have to admit that it was more funny than I remember. If you care for raunchy humor and silly behavior, this one is for you! I give it two thumbs up for filth and fun.

Thursday

Do you have big plans this weekend? It has been really hard to get outdoors without dying of heatstroke lately. So, if you are aching to be handy, I recommend installing bathroom floor tile, painting a guest room, or even finishing an armoire. If any of these items sound like too much fun, give me a call and I will let you help me out... :)

This week I have been a little overwhelmed with work, but it is nothing I cannot handle.

Jennie will have her next ultrasound in six days...

If you missed Jennie's TV debut last night, I will post it just as soon as I can figure out how to crop the huge .AVI file to a manageable 3 minute clip.

Wednesday

Jennie's next ultrasound is a week from today. It looks to be an exciting day -- hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time! My employer has always been very fair and lenient, giving me time off when needed, but not next week. Since I must "babysit" a group of contractors (visiting my workplace next Tuesday through Thursday) for a server upgrade, I have been DENIED time off to hear my baby's heartbeat... :(

My resentment will fade in due time (hey, it's only one ultrasound, right?). It could be much worse, I suppose. After all, I have been able to attend all of Jennie's appointments so far.